Eternal Heavenly Emperor

Almost simultaneously, Yuan Tiangang and the Barbaric Girl charged toward each other once more, igniting another round of fierce combat.

The time left for them wasn't plentiful, and neither of them wished to end in a draw; both were adamant about clinching a victory.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The battle was intense. Yuan Tiangang possessed the secret technique "Shattered," while the Barbaric Girl had a terrifying physique and superior recovery abilities. They were well-matched opponents, each with their own strengths.

And the key to determining the victor was to see who would falter first.

Without his splitting technique, Yuan Tiangang simply couldn't face the Barbaric Girl head-on, and if the Barbaric Girl lost her self-healing ability, she couldn't withstand Yuan Tiangang's Air Blade either.

Ultimately, who could endure longer?

As they clashed, blood was spilled and both accumulated numerous wounds. Yet, their fighting spirit only intensified, so fiery it seemed as if it could burst through the heavens.

Time was running out.

Just one more minute... 40 seconds... 20 seconds, they were still fiercely exchanging blows.

10 seconds, 3 seconds, 1 second.

Bang, after exchanging another blow, both were sent flying back simultaneously, but before they could land solidly, their figures vanished one after another.

Time's up, the fight was over.

Who won, who lost, or was it a draw?

Chu Hao hurriedly looked at the wall, only to see Yuan Tiangang with another victory added to his record, temporarily ranking first, looking down on everyone else.

How did he win?

Chu Hao racked his brain recalling the last moment, both flying back at the same time, it should have been a tie.

Could it be?

He frowned, was it because the Barbaric Girl's realm was slightly higher, so in the event of a draw, the one with the lower realm would be deemed the victor? This seemed to make sense, after all, if the realms were equal, a clear winner would have been determined instantly.

But what made him think the Barbaric Girl had the higher realm?

Right, Body Cultivation.

Body Cultivators didn't have hidden Meridians to unlock. The Barbaric Girl could punch the Eighth Tier Martial Sect level Furious Crocodile flying, indicating that her strength was at least at the Martial Sect's Eighth Tier. Hence, her realm was the Eight Meridians, or perhaps even higher.

Although Yuan Tiangang had broken through as a Ten Meridians martial master, those two extra Meridians didn't count toward the Martial Sect realm, so even though his strength was at the level of an Eighth Tier Martial Sect, his realm was that of the Six Meridians.

If Six Meridians could fight Eight Meridians to a draw, then naturally the Six Meridians would be considered the victor.

The Barbaric Girl had lost somewhat unjustly because she was even younger, only 14 years old! If the factor of age was also considered, then Yuan Tiangang should have been judged utterly defeated.

Because by the time the girl reached 21... she would probably be able to crush Yuan Tiangang with just one finger.

Whoosh, before Chu Hao's thoughts could catch up, he was already transported into the arena.

The second match was his battle against Ling Dongliu.

He must win this match before considering how to deal with Yuan Tiangang's "Shattered" technique.

"I truly did not expect this generation to have so many up-and-coming talents," Ling Dongliu also appeared before Chu Hao, standing in serenity, he arrogantly declared, "Only Yuan Tiangang is worthy to be my opponent, you do not qualify, just forfeit."

Chu Hao laughed heartily, pointing at Ling Dongliu, he said, "I'll crush you first, then take down Yuan Tiangang."

"Delusional!" Ling Dongliu couldn't help but sneer. Yuan Tiangang was naturally his most formidable rival, and the Barbaric Girl had proved her strength, demanding his full attention.

But Chu Hao?

He considered him the weakest among the four, merely lucky to have not faced the other three before, which allowed him to maintain an undefeated record.

But now that he faced him, his record of victories was about to become history.

"Within twenty moves, you'll bow down to me," he said confidently.

Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Chu Hao had to resist the urge to draw his Deep Blue Sword and end the match with a Thunder Dragon's Roar. But upon reflection, he decided to reserve his strongest move for Yuan Tiangang; Ling Dongliu was not worthy of such an ultimate move.

He smiled faintly, "Within twenty moves, you won't even touch the hem of my robe!"

One was arrogant, the other even more so.

"I shall see about that!" Ling Dongliu lunged forward, attacking Chu Hao.

Chu Hao unfolded the Sky Stepping Technique at his feet, activating his Derivation ability to its full extent, knowing all of Ling Dongliu's attack trajectories. Meanwhile, he launched Crescent Slash after Crescent Slash with his hands.

Being a Middle-Grade Human Level martial technique, the Sky Stepping Technique theoretically shouldn't have allowed for fast speeds or such unpredictable movements, as it was constrained by the limits of the technique's level. But coupled with Chu Hao's Derivation ability, that completely changed the game.

Often, even before Ling Dongliu could make a move, Chu Hao had already responded, leading to all of Ling Dongliu's attacks missing their mark. On the other hand, each Crescent Slash forced Ling Dongliu to block or fend off the strike, for failing to do so meant he would take a severe hit.

Twenty moves passed swiftly, and as expected, Ling Dongliu never managed to touch Chu Hao's robe, wasting his efforts in pursuit or deflecting the Crescent Slash.

Chu Hao paused and asked, "How about it?"

Ling Dongliu's face turned beet red at once, embarrassed that he had boasted about defeating Chu Hao within twenty moves, only to have, as his opponent said, not even touched the corner of his opponent's clothing.

To speak of the opponent's speed, it couldn't really be called fast, but it seemed as though he had the ability to predict the future; he knew where Ling Dongliu would pounce as soon as he made a move, adjusting his position in advance and rendering Ling's efforts futile.

Ling Dongliu had experienced this kind of helplessness before.

It was not Yuan Tiangang.

A year ago, he traveled far to Fire State for his last trial before the ranking battle of the Fledgling Dragon List.

Staying in Cang State, he was already a top genius, the only one who could overshadow him was Yuan Tiangang, thus he had to venture out to encounter stronger geniuses, to exchange blows, learn from them, and improve himself.

The overall martial arts hierarchy in Fire State was above Cang State, but Ling Dongliu was among the best of Cang State's younger generation, invincible upon his arrival in Fire State. It wasn't until three months later that he finally met someone.

It was a young man with a friendly smile, roughly the same age, maybe even a year or two younger, but when the two clashed fiercely, Ling Dongliu found no matter how he adjusted his tactics, he was targeted tightly by the other party.

He suffered a crushing defeat.

And for the following three months, that loss haunted him like a nightmare, causing his cultivation to regress rather than improve. It was only when he reignited his fighting spirit and suppressed his Heart Demon that he was reborn like a phoenix from the ashes, and his strength greatly increased.

Even more coincidentally, the person who defeated him also had the surname Chu.

Was it the same bloodline as Chu Hao's?

Ling Dongliu took a deep breath, pushing aside all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, his fighting spirit rekindled.

Just right, if he could defeat Chu Hao, he would be able to completely conquer his Heart Demon, not just suppress it—a wholly different concept. Truly defeating his Heart Demon would inevitably lead to a surge in strength, and he might even defeat Yuan Tiangang.

Excellent, excellent. Let Chu Hao be the whetstone for his peerless treasured sword, and Yuan Tiangang will be next!

Ling Dongliu took a breath and with a flourish of his right hand, a long staff appeared in his hand, two zhang in length and golden all over. He exclaimed, "Chu Hao, come and experience my Qianyuan Eighteen Rods."

Seeing Ling Dongliu bring out his staff, the crowd outside finally boiled over.

"Ling Dongliu is finally getting serious."

"The Qianyuan Eighteen Rods is Ling Dongliu's signature ultimate move, said to be at least of Earth Level Middle-Grade. And so far, no one has ever seen anything beyond the tenth form of the technique, because no one has pushed him to that point."

"Really? Even Yuan Tiangang couldn't?"

"How could that be possible, he didn't use the Qianyuan Eighteen Rods at all when he fought Yuan Tiangang."

"Did he know it wouldn't be a match even if he used it?"

The crowd outside buzzed with discussion, but their voices couldn't reach the arena and affect the mindsets of the two contestants.

Ling Dongliu ran his hand along the long staff and said, "Three years ago, when I fought Yuan Tiangang, I had only mastered fifteen forms, knowing that even using this staff technique, I wasn't his match. But now... I have mastered the complete eighteen forms, and you will become the first to truly experience the complete Qianyuan Eighteen Forms."

He paused, then added, "However, whether you can withstand my Qianyuan Eighteen Forms will depend on if you have the strength."

Chu Hao couldn't help but laugh loudly, saying, "Hearing you say that, I'd feel embarrassed defeating you before the eighteenth move, so I'll defeat you on the nineteenth."

"What a big talker you are, not even Yuan Tiangang would dare to boast like that in front of me," Ling Dongliu said with a sneer.

"Enough talk, just make your move. I really want to see what you've got," Chu Hao said, waving his hands.

"Hahaha, are you so eager? Then I shall oblige!" Ling Dongliu brandished his long staff and finally launched his attack, whoosh, as though the whole world dimmed, leaving only a golden divine staff to thunder down mightily.

The momentum of this staff was truly terrifying, as if the opening of the universe itself was caused by this strike, filled with an ancient and profound aura.

Indeed very strong.

Chu Hao shook his hands, turning his punches into palms, unleashing the Jade Wall Technique, his hands immediately becoming as unyielding as jade stone.

Thump.

His flesh palms met the golden staff, and Chu Hao's body sank slightly, catching the strike steadfastly.

Ling Dongliu couldn't hide his surprise; such a heavy blow and yet it did not shatter Chu Hao's hands? He immediately recalled in his mind that the moment his staff hit Chu Hao's hands, the latter's hands became like jade stone, incredibly slick, deflecting much of his strength.

So that was it.

He smiled, knowing he hadn't yet infused starlight into his staff; otherwise, even the strongest body protection technique would be unable to stop it.

"Second move!" Ling Dongliu swung the staff again, smashing it down towards Chu Hao.

Chu Hao greeted it with the Sky Wind Eight Styles.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Ling Dongliu unleashed move after move, the Qianyuan Eighteen Rods striking one after another, seemingly determined to beat Chu Hao into a bloody pulp. He obviously had deep mastery over this staff technique, with each form flowing seamlessly, without the slightest hint of stiffness.

You should know, the more powerful a martial technique is, the more difficult it is to connect them seamlessly, which is to say, easier said than done.

Like Chu Hao before, although he had comprehended several forms of the Sky Wind Eight Styles, he could only execute one move before having to pause, then wait a while to perform another. Only after he cultivated the Jade Wall Technique did his meridians get significantly strengthened, allowing him to execute moves continuously, and the power naturally soared.

Ling Dongliu, being able to operate the Qianyuan Eighteen Rods, whose power was no less relentless, so fluidly, indicated that his meridians and physique must have been greatly enhanced. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes of recommendation and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)